THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
53 
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT WILLIS. 
President Willis said in part: 
Gentlemen of the Western Nurserymen’s Association—- 
Another year has passed and by your favor today I pre¬ 
sent to you a few remarks as President of this Association. 
The year lias passed and with it we have had our little round 
of successes and pleasures and of reverses and sorrows, but 
all in all I believe we may call it a good year; for though 
we may not feel we have added largely to our'fund of ready 
cash we have had and enjoyed a large measure of the bless¬ 
ings that make life worth living. 
This has been in some respects an unusual year. March 
brought us a spell of August weather; this was followed by 
severe freezing in April and May, greatly retarding the 
growth of nursery stock and wholly destroying the crop of 
tree fruits over most of the territory represented by this 
Association. On account of the unfavorable season there 
has been an unusually light percent of No. i grades of stock 
for most of us. The labor supply has been rather light so it 
has been necessary to hustle to get the work done that was 
needed, and to finish up this fall a money panic has in- 
terferred seriously with deliveries and collections, and all 
the time we have been embarrassed by uncertainty in rail¬ 
road service in both in and out shipments. 
While all the above is true w r e have generally enjoyed a 
good degree of health; we have enjoyed in large measure all 
the blessings and privileges that have come to the best sec¬ 
tion of the best country we know anything about. Our 
losses have not been so great as to cripple us in our work, 
while the experiences the season has brought us, and the 
courage and hope a kindly Providence has planted in all our 
hearts will stimulate to efforts that will bring larger suc¬ 
cesses and better rewards than have come to us in the past. 
Let us contemplate the scene before us; there are lands 
to plant as fertile as the Valley of the Nile, there are seed 
and plants within reach, there are laborers with willing hands 
waiting our bidding, the bright sun shines, the gentle rain 
waters the thirsty earth, and a gracious heavenly Father 
has commanded that the seed sowed shall bring forth 
plants and trees after their kind, and a multitude all over 
this' broad land are stretching forth their hands to us and 
asking for the products of our craft that they may plant and 
grow fruit for food and trees and plants for shelter and 
beauty. Let us arise and plant, being sure we shall reap in 
due time if we faint not. 
THE PROCEEDINGS 
After the reading of the minutes of the July meeting which were 
approved, A. C. Griesa introduced the subject, “Is a Kieffer pear 
orchard more fruitful when pollinized with another variety?” and 
as discussed by Messrs. Stark, Wragg, Bernardin, Heikes, Hill, Hol¬ 
man and others, the Kieffer was considered strongly potent of itself. 
C. G. Ferguson introduced the root Aphis subject, a matter of 
great interest to all nurserymen. An active discussion by Messrs. 
Bernardin, Skinner, Stark, Wragg, A. C. Griesa, Youngers, Heikes, 
Hill, Brown, Marshall, Welch and others followed. The tobacco 
application was pronounced a failure in many cases. Mr. Heikes 
gave an account of an experiment in Georgia where a light furrow was 
thrown from the trees and a kerosene emulsion applied with signal 
success. 
Messrs. Holsinger Bros., Rosedale, Kans., and M. E. Chandler, 
Argentine, Kans., were elected to membership and invited to the 
room. 
Roll call showed the following present: Alabama Nursery Co., 
E. P. Bernardin, H. F. Bente, M. E. Chandler, Des Moines Nursery 
Co., B. E. Fields & Son, German Nurseries, A. C. Griesa, T. E. Griesa, 
Huntsville Wholesale Nurseries, Holman Bros., Holsinger Bros., 
Kelsey Nurseries, Kansas City Nurseries, D. S. Lake, Marshall Bros., 
New Haven Nurseries, J. H. Skinner & Co., J. W. Schuette & Co., 
F. H. Stannard & Co., Stark Bros., N. & O. Co., L. R. Taylor & Sons, 
James Truitt & Sons, H. J. Weber & Sons, E. S. Welch, A. Willis, 
J. Wragg & Sons, Youngers & Co. Major Holsinger of Kansas and Mr. 
McDonald of Washington were guests by special invitation. 
The treasurer reported receipts, $234.26, expenditures, $56.92, 
balance in treasury, $ 17 7.34. Approved. 
The committee on nomination presented the following, who were 
elected: For President, E. P. Bernardin; Vice-President, E. S. 
Welch; Secretary and Treasurer, E. J. Holman; Executive Com¬ 
mittee, F. H. Stannard, W- P. Stark, R. J. Bagby, J. W. Hill and 
A. J. Brown. 
Questions. 
“Will the throwing of many out of employment help the labor 
situation for the nurseryman?” by J. H. Skinner, and participated in 
by Messrs. Ferguson, Youngers, Hill, Bernardin, A. C. Griesa, 
Heikes and others,was regarded as especially helpful to those that 
had suffered from labor strikes and combinations and some saw in it 
a door of relief from the labor stringency that had hitherto menaced 
the energies of nurserymen, the consensus of sentiment however be¬ 
ing that the highest wages was deserved by faithful employees. 
Mr. W. P. Stark on “What age and size apple trees will be de¬ 
manded by the orchardist who is on to his job?” said there was a 
growing intelligence demanding a younger tree, many more one year 
old being planted though smaller, health and vigor being the first re¬ 
quisite and better attained in select yearlings. 
E. P. Bernardin championed American uniformity of grading, 
aided by Messrs. Heikes, Wragg and others. The Western Associa¬ 
tion a yea,r ago proposed a grade list and the question is now before 
the National Association in a progressive state. 
“To what extent is the San Jose scale working in the West?” by 
J. W. Schuette who said nothing could be accomplished by agita¬ 
tion. In the discussion by Messrs. Bernardin, Brown, Plill and Hol¬ 
singer it was stated to exist in injurious presence in spots while in 
the greater area covered by the Western Association, it is not 
known. 
“Should the nurserymen adopt and work for a uniform law re¬ 
commending the dipping of nursery stock in place of fumigating?” 
by Messrs. R. J. Bagby, Brown, Bernardin, A. C. Griesa and others, 
was by some strenuously advocated, bvothersaconservath e view was 
held. It was gathered that a great deal of loss had followed fumiga¬ 
tion, hence the dipping process was especially favored by those who 
had tried it. Mr. Weber gave an interesting statement of the merits 
of soluble oil giving many instances of its use and complete success 
as a dip or spray, no resultant harm following as at times with 
fumigation. 
“Has the money panic affected the fall collections of the retailer 
and in what territory to the greatest extent?” by Messrs. F. H. Stan¬ 
nard, Stark and others said it was discernible but had not been felt 
seriously. “To what extent will a refrigerator car withstand frost?” 
by D. S. Lake. By motion of Mr. W. P. Stark, Mr. Lake’s paper with 
a special contribution by Herbert Chase on the same subject and a 
special article on loading trees in cars will be embodied in circular 
form. 
J. W. Hill urged on the part of the West an increased exhibit at 
the next National convention. 
The foregoing is only a part of the topics and discussions which 
occupied the two days of four sessions, adjournment one hour for 
lunch the last day and then again at work vigorously until late in the 
afternoon final adjournment was forced by many having to meet 
engagements. 
Resolutions Adopted. 
By C. Griesa —That the action of the Association taken in 1904 
regarding the advertising of no prices in newspapers is the sentiment 
of the association at this time and that the co-operation of the papers 
in this regard be commended. 
By E. S. Welch —That the Western Association of Nurserymen 
in convention assembled at Kansas City, Mo., on December 17-18, 
1907, do respectfully ask of the executive committee of the American 
Association of Nurserymen that they request the legislative com- 
